Head profile for a golf club iron

ABSTRACT

The head of a golf iron having an improved profile that enables a golfer to accurately align the club head with a golf ball so that the club head will strike the ball at the sweet spot located on the club face. The club head has a top edge which runs above the club face and includes first and second portions that extend in first and second directions. The boundary line between the first and second portions at the top edge of the club head lies in a vertical sweet spot reference plane with the center of the sweet spot. The boundary line at the top edge of the club head is visible to the golfer looking down at his club head so as to provide the golfer with an indication of the location of the sweet spot on the club face at which to strike the golf ball during his swing.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to the head of a golf club, particularly a golf club iron, having a unique head profile that enables a golfer to better align his club head with his golf ball to be able to strike the ball at the center of the characteristic sweet spot on the club head to achieve the best shot. The top edge of the club head has first and second portions which extend in different directions, such that the boundary line between the first and second portions provides a visual indication to the golfer of the location of the sweet spot of the club head.

2. Background Art

One example of a metal club head for a typical golf club iron is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings. The club head 1 is attached to the shaft of the golf club at a hosel 3. A set of parallel aligned spin control grooves 5 run across the angled face 7 of the club head 1 at the golf ball impact area 9 thereof. The spin control grooves 5 enable the golfer to impart a back spin to his golf ball during his stroke to better control the placement of the ball (e.g., on a putting green). The club head 1 includes a uniformly upwardly sloping top edge 10 which extends continuously above the impact area 9 of club face 7 from the hosel 3 to the outside edge of the club head.

Ideally, the golfer tries to swing his club such that the golf ball will be impacted by the sweet spot 12 of the club head to achieve the best shot. The sweet spot, which is a characteristic of most irons, is the location on the impact area of the club face where impact with a golf ball will not cause the club head to rotate in the golfer's hand and thereby negatively affect the accuracy of the golfer's shot. Traditionally, a golfer tries to use the spin control grooves 5 at the impact area 9 to visually identify the sweet spot 12 where his club head will strike the golf ball. However, as a consequence of the club face 7 being angled, the golfer often experiences an optical illusion when standing over the golf ball and looking down at his club head. That is, golfers, and particularly beginners, tend to focus their eyes on the top edge of the club head will sometimes lose sight of all of the grooves 5 such that it becomes difficult to use the grooves as a precise visual aid to increase the likelihood that the golf ball will be struck by the sweet spot of the club head.

Therefore, it is desirable to provide a golf club, namely an iron, with an improved head profile to provide the golfer with an easy to see visual indication by which to accurately align his club head with the golf ball so the club head will strike the ball at the sweet spot on the club face without the golfer having to rely entirely on the spin control grooves.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In general terms, the head of a golf club (e.g., an iron) is disclosed having an improved profile that enables a golfer to more easily and accurately align the club head with a golf ball while the golfer addresses the ball to better his chance that the ball will be struck by the sweet spot on the face of the club head during the golfer's swing. Rather than a continuously upsloping top edge common to the club head of a conventional iron, the club head described herein has a top edge with first and second portions thereof that lie above the face and run in different directions. In a preferred embodiment, the first and second portions of the top edge run in straight lines. The boundary line located between the first and second portions at the top edge of the club head lies in a vertical sweet spot reference plane with the center of the club head sweet spot. The boundary line is visible to the golfer looking down at his club head while he addresses his golf ball.

By virtue of the foregoing, the boundary line provides the golfer with a visual indication which identifies the location of the center of the sweet spot on the face of the club head. In particular, the center of the sweet spot lies at or near the intersection of the vertical sweet spot reference plane and a pre-determined one of the plurality of spin control grooves that are typically formed in and extend horizontally across the face of the club head. By using the visible boundary line which runs across the top edge of the club head and lies in the vertical sweet spot reference plane, the golfer is advantageously provided with an easy to see indicator where the golf ball should be struck during his stroke to enable the ball to be impacted by the sweet spot on the face of the club head and thereby improve the accuracy of his shot.

In a first preferred embodiment, the first portion of the top edge lying above the face of the club head inclines continuously between the hosel and the vertical sweet spot reference plane. The second portion of the top edge is flat and extends horizontally between the sweet spot reference plane and the outside end of the club head. In a second preferred embodiment, the first portion of the top edge of the club head inclines continuously between the hosel and the vertical sweet spot reference plane, and the second portion of the top edge is flat and slopes downwardly from the sweet spot reference plane to the outside end of the club head. In another preferred embodiment, the first portion of the top edge of the club head inclines continuously between the hosel and the vertical sweet spot reference plane, and the second portion of the top edge curves downwardly from the sweet spot reference plane to the outside of the club head.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows the head of a conventional golf club iron;

FIG. 2 shows the top edge of the conventional club head shown in FIG. 1 relative to the sweet spot located on the club face;

FIG. 3 shows the head of a golf club iron having an improved head profile in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 4 shows the top edge of the club head shown in FIG. 3 relative to the sweet spot located on the club face;

FIG. 5 shows the head of a golf club iron having an improved head profile in accordance with a second preferred embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 6 shows the top edge of the club head shown in FIG. 5 relative to the sweet spot located on the club face;

FIG. 7 shows the head of a golf club iron having an improved head profile in accordance with another preferred embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 8 shows the top edge of the club head shown in FIG. 7 relative to the sweet spot located on the club face; and

FIG. 9 shows the club head of FIG. 3 to illustrate similar head profiles for different golf club irons.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Turning initially to FIGS. 3 and 4 of the drawings, there is shown a first preferred embodiment for the head of a golf club having an improved profile by which to enable a golfer to more accurately align his club head with his golf ball so that during his swing the club head is likely to strike the golf ball at the sweet spot of the club head. By virtue of the foregoing, the golfer's ball may be struck so as to travel a greater distance along a straighter path towards a target than had the golfer used a golf club having a conventional head like that designated 1 in FIGS. 1 and 2 where the golfer must rely entirely on the spin control grooves at the front of the club face for alignment with the sweet spot.

The improvements to the profile of a golf club head described below are limited to irons. In particular, the profiles of the club heads to be disclosed hereinafter are applicable to driving and long irons, namely, 1-3 irons, middle irons, namely 4-6 irons, short irons, namely, 7-9 irons, a pitching wedge, a sand wedge and a lob wedge.

Like the conventional club head 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the club head 20 of FIGS. 3 and 4 is attached to the shaft of a golf club at a hosel 22. Also like the club head 1, the club head 20 is manufactured from metal. The usual parallel aligned spin control grooves 24 are formed in and run horizontally across the angled face 26 of the club head 20 at the golf ball impact area 28 thereof. However, instead of a continuously sloping top edge, the top edge 30 of the golf club head 20 of FIGS. 3 and 4 runs in two different directions above the club face 26 and the horizontal spin control grooves 24 formed therein.

More particularly, a first portion 32 of the top edge 30 of the club head 20 extends continuously in an upsloping (i.e., inclined) direction between the hosel 22 and a vertical sweet spot reference plane 34. The first portion of the top edge 30 preferably extends in a flat straight line path. The sweet spot reference plane 34 lies in perpendicular alignment with the parallel aligned spin control grooves 24, such that the center of the pre-determined sweet spot 38 on the face 26 of the club head 20 is located at the intersection of the vertical sweet spot reference plane 34 and one of the parallel aligned grooves 24 which run horizontally across the impact area 28 at the face 26 of club head 20. Because the location of the sweet spot may change from club-to-club and manufacturer-to-manufacturer, the precise location of the sweet spot reference plane 34 is not limited exactly to that shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

A second portion 36 of the top edge 30 of the club head 20 extends continuously in a horizontal direction between the vertical sweet spot reference plane 34 and the outside edge of the club face 26. The second portion 36 of the top edge 30 also preferably extends in a flat straight line path, such that the flat straight line paths of the first and second portions 32 and 36 form adjacent sides of an angle. Moreover, the horizontally extending second portion 36 lies in parallel alignment with the horizontally extending spin control grooves 24.

It may be appreciated that the inclined first portion 32 of the top edge 30 of the club head 20 intersects the horizontal second portion 36 at a boundary line 40 which will be visible to the golfer when he addresses his golf ball and looks down at the club head. The visible boundary line 40 that extends across the top edge 30 of the club head 20 and the center of the sweet spot 38 lie in the vertical sweet spot reference plane 34. Accordingly, the golfer is advantageously provided with an easy to see visual indicator that identifies the ideal location on his club head where his golf ball should be struck so that the ball can be impacted by the sweet spot at the face of the club head to enable the golfer to achieve the best result during his golf stroke. To this end, the boundary line 40 can be darkened or marked with a distinctive color to enhance the ability of the golfer to locate and use the boundary line as a visual indicator.

What is even more, because the second portion 36 of the top edge 30 of club head 20 is flat and extends in a horizontal direction, the golfer is provided with an easy to recognize visual axis (designated 42 in FIG. 3) to be aligned with a target (e.g., a flag located on a putting green) in order to improve the accuracy of his golf shot. That is, the axis 42 of the horizontal second portion 36 of the top edge 30 can be positioned in perpendicular alignment with the target while the golfer addresses his ball so that the golfer's stance can be adjusted to improve the accuracy of his shot towards the target. In this same regard, the flat horizontal portion 36 can be used as a reference line to enable the golfer to ensure that his hips are aligned parallel to the club head 20 and perpendicular to the target. Moreover, in some cases, the flat horizontal portion 36 can help the golfer visually locate and position the club head when his golf ball lies in tall grass.

FIGS. 5 and 6 of the drawings show a second preferred embodiment for the head of a golf club (i.e., an iron) having an improved profile relative to the conventional club head profile shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 to improve the accuracy of a golfer's shot towards a target. As in the case of the golf club head 20 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the golf club head 50 of FIGS. 5 and 6 lies at one end of the usual hosel 52. Parallel spin control grooves 54 are formed in and run horizontally across the angled face 56 of club head 50 at the golf ball impact area 58. Also like the club head 20, the top edge 60 of the club head 50 runs in two different directions above the club face 56 and the horizontal spin control grooves 54 formed therein.

More particularly, a first portion 62 of the top edge 60 of the club head 50 extends continuously in a first upsloping (i.e., inclined) direction between the hosel 52 and a vertical sweet spot reference plane 64. As was previously explained, the sweet spot reference plane 64 lies in perpendicular alignment with the parallel aligned spin control grooves 54, such that the center of the pre-determined sweet spot 68 on the face 58 of club head 50 is located at the intersection of the vertical sweet spot reference plane 64 and one of the parallel aligned grooves 54 which run horizontally across the impact area 58 at the face 56 of club head 50.

A second portion 66 of the top edge 60 of the club head 50 extends continuously in a downwardly sloping (i.e., declined) direction between the sweet spot reference plane 64 and the outside edge of the club face 56. Each of the first and second portions 62 and 66 of the top edge 60 preferably extends in a flat straight line path. The flat downwardly sloping second portion 66 creates an angle 70 with a horizontal reference line (designated 72 in FIG. 5) which lies in parallel alignment with the horizontally extending spin control grooves 54. As the angle 70 increases, the club head 50 will become increasingly lighter. Therefore, the angle 70 can vary depending upon the manufacturer and the requirements of the golfer.

It may be once again appreciated that the inclined first portion 62 of the top edge 60 of the club head 50 intersects the downwardly sloping second portion 66 at a boundary line 74 which will be visible to the golfer when he addresses his golf ball and looks down at the club head. The visible boundary line 74 that extends across the top edge 60 of the club head 50 and the center of the sweet spot 68 lie in the vertical sweet spot reference plane 64. Accordingly, the golfer is advantageously provided with an easy to see visual indicator that identifies the ideal location on his club head where his golf ball should be struck so that the ball can be impacted by the sweet spot at the face of the club head to enable the golfer to achieve the best result during his golf stroke.

FIGS. 7 and 8 of the drawings show another preferred embodiment for the head of a golf club (i.e., an iron) having an improved profile relative to the conventional club head profile shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. As in the case of the golf club heads 20 and 50 that were previously described when referring to FIGS. 3-6, the golf club head 80 of FIGS. 7 and 8 lies at one end of a hosel 82. Parallel spin control grooves 84 are formed in and run horizontally across the angled face 86 of club head 80 at the golf ball impact area 88. The top edge 90 of the club head 80 runs in two different directions above the club face 86 and the horizontal spin control grooves 84 that are formed therein.

More particularly, a first portion 92 of the top edge 90 of the club head 80 extends continuously in a first upsloping (i.e., inclined) direction between the hosel 82 and a vertical sweet spot reference plane 94. The vertical sweet spot reference plane 94 lies in perpendicular alignment with the horizontally extending spin control grooves 84 such that the center of the sweet spot 98 on the face 86 of club head 80 is located at the intersection of the vertical sweet spot reference plane 94 and one of the parallel aligned grooves 84 which run horizontally across the face 86 of club head 80.

A second portion 96 of the top edge 90 of the club head 80 is rounded and curves downwardly from the sweet spot reference plane 94 to the outside edge of the club face 86. The inclined first portion 92 of the top edge 90 of the club head 80 intersects the downwardly curved second portion 96 at a boundary line 100 that will be visible to the golfer when he addresses his golf ball and looks down at the golf club head. The visible boundary line 100 that extends across the top edge 90 of the club head 80 and the center of the sweet spot 98 lie in the vertical sweet spot reference plane 94. Accordingly, the golfer is advantageously provided with another easy to see visual indicator that identifies the ideal location on his club head where his golf ball should be struck so that the ball can be impacted by the sweet spot at the face of the club head to enable the golfer to achieve the best result during his golf stroke.

FIG. 9 of the drawings shows the profile for the golf club head 20 that was described while referring to FIGS. 3 and 4. As previously explained, this club head 20 is particularly suited for all golf irons. FIG. 9 also illustrates similar profiles for other irons which share the benefits afforded by the profile of the club head 20. In particular, the top edge 30 of club head 20 having the first and second portions 32 and 36 which run above the club face 26 in first and second directions and intersect one another along a visible boundary line 40 lying in the vertical sweet spot reference line 34 has a relatively shallow and narrow profile. The golf club head 20-2 that is also shown in FIG. 9 and is particularly suited for short irons, a pitching wedge and a sand iron has the deepest and widest profile. The golf club head 20-1 of FIG. 9 that is particularly suited for middle irons has a profile which is intermediate the profiles of the club heads 20 and 20-2. Although they are not shown in FIG. 9, the golf club heads designated 50 and 80 in FIGS. 5-8 can also be provided with shallow (i.e., narrow), deep (i.e., wide) and intermediate profiles depending upon the iron and particular application of the iron. 

1. A golf club head attached to a hosel and comprising a face at which a golf ball is to be struck, a sweet spot located on the face at which to apply an impact force to the golf ball without causing the golf club head to rotate in the hand of a golfer when the golf club head strikes the golf ball, an inside end at which the hosel is attached, an outside end located opposite the inside end, and a top edge which runs above the face of the club head between the inside and outside ends thereof, said top edge having a first portion which runs in a first direction and a second portion which runs in a second direction and a perceptively visible boundary line lying at the intersection of the first and second portions of said top edge, wherein said visible boundary line is located in a vertical sweet spot reference plane which includes the center of the sweet spot that is located on the face of the club head, such that said visible boundary line and the center of the sweet spot are aligned with one another in said vertical sweet spot plane.
 2. (canceled)
 3. (canceled)
 4. The golf club head recited in claim 1, further comprising a plurality of parallel spin control grooves formed in and extending horizontally across the face of said club head, said vertical sweet spot reference plane in which said visible boundary line and the center of the sweet spot are located lying in perpendicular alignment with the horizontally extending spin control grooves.
 5. The golf club head recited in claim 4, wherein the first portion of said top edge inclines upwardly in said first direction between the hosel at the inside end of said club head and the vertical sweet spot reference plane in which said visible boundary line is located, and the second portion of said top edge extends horizontally in said second direction between said sweet spot reference plane and the outside end of said club head.
 6. The golf club head recited in claim 5, wherein the second portion of said top edge which extends horizontally in said second direction lies in parallel alignment with the plurality of horizontally extending spin control grooves formed in and extending across the face of the club head.
 7. The golf club head recited in claim 5, wherein each of the upwardly inclined first portion and the horizontally extending second portion of said top edge runs continuously in a straight line path.
 8. (canceled)
 9. (canceled)
 10. (canceled)
 11. (canceled)
 12. (canceled)
 13. (canceled)
 14. A golf club head attached to a hosel and comprising a face at which a golf ball is to be struck, a plurality of spin control grooves extending horizontally across the face of the golf club head, a sweet spot located on the face at which to apply an impact force to the golf ball without causing the golf club head to rotate in the hand of a golfer when the golf club head strikes the golf ball, an inside end at which the hosel is attached, an outside end located opposite the inside end, and a top edge which runs above the face of the club head between the inside and outside ends thereof, said top edge having a first straight line portion and a second straight line portion that lies adjacent said first straight line portion, such that the first and second straight line portions of said top edge are aligned with one another to form an angle, wherein a perceptively visible boundary line is located at the intersection of said first and second straight line portions, said perceptively visible boundary line being located in a vertical sweet spot reference plane which is aligned perpendicular to the plurality of horizontally extending spin control grooves and includes the center of the sweet spot that is located on the face of the golf club head, and wherein the first straight line portion of the top edge of said golf head extends continuously in an upsloping direction between the hosel and said visible boundary line, and the second straight line portion of the top edge of said golf club head extends continuously in a downsloping direction between said visible boundary line and the outside end of said golf club head.
 15. A golf club head attached to a hosel and comprising a face at which a golf ball is to be struck, a plurality of spin control grooves extending horizontally across the face of the golf club head, a sweet spot located on the face at which to apply an impact force to the golf ball without causing the golf club head to rotate in the hand of a golfer when the golf club head strikes the golf ball, an inside end at which the hosel is attached, an outside end located opposite the inside end, and a top edge which runs above the face of the club head between the inside and outside ends thereof, said top edge having a first portion and a second portion that lies adjacent said first portion, wherein a perceptively visible boundary line is located at the intersection of said first and second portions, said perceptively visible boundary line being located in a vertical sweet spot reference plane which is aligned perpendicular to said plurality of horizontally extending spin control grooves and includes the center of the sweet spot that is located on the face of the golf club head, and wherein the first portion of the top edge of said golf head extends continuously in an upsloping straight line direction between the hosel and said visible boundary line, and the second portion of the top edge of said golf club head is round and curves continuously downward between said visible boundary line and the outside end of said golf club head. 